최근 우리나라도 단일민족국가가 아닌 다문화 사회로 접어들고 있다. 다문화가정 및 이주민들은 세계의 다양한 문화를 우리 사회에 도입하여 보여 줌으로써 우리 사회의 개방성을 높이고, 구성원들의 창의성을 계발하는데 도움을 주고 있지만, 외국인 근로자들의 열악한 사회 경제적 여건은 장기적으로 이들의 사회적 고립을 초래하고 사회적 갈등과 분열을 초래할 가능성이 있으며, 교육에서 소외된 다문화 자녀는 앞으로 빈 곤계층으로 전락하고 범죄에 노출될 가능성이 늘어나고 있다. 따라서 경제적·사회적 기반이 취약한 다문화가정 자녀가 정규 교육으로부터 소외되지 않고 혜택을 받을 수 있도록 교육 당국과 정부의 체계적인 대책 마련이 시급하고, 다문화사회를 있는 그대로 받아들일 수 있는 다문 화교육에 대한 중요성이 점점 더 커지고 있다. 정부 또한 도덕 교과에 다문화 사회에서 발생하는 도덕 문제와 해결 방안을 교육하도록 했고, TV를 비롯한 대중 매체에서는 다문화 사회에서 ``더불어 사는 삶``을 실천하기 위한 캠페인을 지속적으로 전개하고 있 다. 그러나 대부분 사람은 다문화가정과 관련이 없으면 그들이 겪고 있는 설움과 어려움에 대해 나와 상관없는 문제로 여겨 무관심한 태도로 일관하고 있다. 그리고 자신의 몸을 가장 중시하기 때문에 다문화가정 의 아픔과 자신의 아픔은 별개인 것처럼 여기기 때문에 다문화가정이나 외국인 근로자를 대할 경우에도 입장 바꾸어 생각할 마음의 배려조차 하지 않고 사회적 편견과 차별을 하고 있다. 그러면서 외국의 문화를 이 해하고 수용하기 보다는 우리 문화만 익히고 우리의 사고방식과 같아지도록 강요함으로써 갈등을 일으키고 있다. 이러한 한계를 극복하고 근본적인 문제를 해결하기 위해서는 그들에 대한 법적·제도적 다문화정책 뿐만 아니라, 인종과 민족을 초월하여 모든 인류가 공통적으로 지니고 있는 근원적인 마음 탐구에서 출발해야 한다. 유교에서는 모든 사람에게 仁義禮智의 천부적 본성이 존재하며, 천부적 본성대로 곧고 바르게 발현된 본마음인 四端을 지니고 있다고 여긴다. 따라서 四端을 마음속에 잘 보존하여 가득 채우고 확충하면 이기적인 욕심이 없어지고 본심으로 가득 차게 되어 인간의 본성 인 仁義禮智를 기를 수 있고 결과적으로 다문화가정의 학생이나 부모 형제에 대해 따뜻한 마음이 자연스럽게 발현될 수 있다고 본다. 이러 한 본마음을 미루어 남의 본마음까지 헤아리게 되면 혈矩之道를 올바 르게 실천할 수 있게 되어 소극적으로는 자신이 하기 싫은 일은 다른 사람도 하기 싫다는 것을 알기 때문에 베풀지 않게 되며, 적극적으로 는 자신이 상대방에게 받고 싶은 일은 남도 받고 싶다는 것을 알고 먼 저 도움을 주고 배려해 주게 된다. 즉, 우리 마음과 다문화 가정의 사람들이 지니고 있는 마음이 같다는 것을 깨닫게 되면 입장 바꾸어 생 각을 할 수 있게 되고 그들이 진정으로 필요로 하는 것이 무엇인지, 정말 싫어하는 것이 무엇인지 알게 된다. 그러한 마음을 깨닫게 되면 도움을 필요로 하는 것에는 먼저 손을 내밀어 적극적으로 도와주고, 그들이 싫어하는 것은 하지 않도록 조심하게 된다. 그리고 다문화사회에 서 인종적·문화적 다양성을 자연스럽게 받아들이고 그들을 우리와 똑같은 사람으로 대우하고, 동시에 그들이 지니고 있는 고유의 문화를 이해하고 존중할 수 있어야 한다.
Recently, Korea is also entering multicultural society from a single-race nation. Multicultural families and immigrants increase openness of society and help people to develop creativity by introducing various culture from all around country in our society, however, poor social and economic condition of foreign workers cause their social isolation in long term, possibility for multicultural children who are isolated from education to be degraded to poor class and be exposed to crime is increasing. Therefore, it is urgent for educational authorities and government to prepare systematic plan for children from multicultural families who have weak economic and social base to not to be isolated from formal education and have benefit, and importance of multicultural education which can accept multicultural society as it is are increasing. Government also directed to educate moral problem occurs in multicultural city and its solution in moral subject, and mass media including TV also continuously carrying out campaign to practice ``living together`` in multicultural society. However, when people are not directly related to multicultural families, most of people consider their sorrow and difficulties as something not related to them, so they keep show their attitude of indifference. Also, since people care about them the most, people consider pain of multicultural families and theirs separately, so, when they confront with foreign workers, they would not be considerate enough to put themselves in their shoes, and give social prejudice and discrimination. At the same time, people cause conflict by only emphasizing superiority of our culture and forcing them to have the same way of thinking rather than understand and accept foreign culture. In order to overcome this limit and solve fundamental problem, not only legal and institutional multicultural policy about them is needed but also it has to be beyond race and people, and start from study on primitive mind which all races have in common. Confucianism believes that all people have natural-born benevolence, righteousness, propriety and wisdom, and also have four Beginnings that rightfully revealed with natural human nature. Therefore, it believes that when four Beginnings are well saved and secured in mind, selfish greed disappears, be filled with underlying heart, benevolence, righteousness, propriety and wisdom, which are the human nature could be developed, and as a result, warm heart towards students from multicultural families or parents and siblings could be revealed. When someone can finally understand others underlying heart, the way of Xieju can be practiced appropriately, so in passive sense, since people know people do not want what they do not want, people do not do it anymore, and in active sense, since people know that people wish to receive something that they wish to receive, so they help first and being considerate. In other words, when people realize our mind and people from multicultural families` mind are the same, they could think in their perspectives, and people could know what they really want and what they really hate. When that mind is realized, people actively help the people who need help, and be careful about doing things they hate. Also, people should be able to naturally accept racial and cultural variety in multicultural society, respect them as the same human being as we are, and at the same time, understand and respect their unique culture. In order to overcome this limit and solve fundamental problem, not only legal and institutional multicultural policy about them is needed but also it has to be beyond race andIn order to overcome this limit and solve fundamental problem, not only legal and institutional multicultural policy about them is needed but also it has to be beyond race and people, and start from study on primitive mind which all races have in common. Confucianism believes that all people have natural-born benevolence, righteousness, propriety and wisdom, and also have four Beginnings that rightfully revealed with natural human nature. Therefore, it believes that when four Beginnings are well saved and secured in mind, selfish greed disappears, be filled with underlying heart, benevolence, righteousness, propriety and wisdom, which are the human nature could be developed, and as a result, warm heart towards students from multicultural families or parents and siblings could be revealed. When someone can finally understand others underlying heart, the way of Xieju can be practiced appropriately, so in passive sense, since people know people do not want what they do not want, people do not do it anymore, and in active sense, since people know that people wish to receive something that they wish to receive, so they help first and being considerate. In other words, when people realize our mind and people from multicultural families` mind are the same, they could think in their perspectives, and people could know what they really want and what they really hate. When that mind is realized, people actively help the people who need help, and be careful about doing things they hate. Also, people should be able to naturally accept racial and cultural variety in multicultural society, respect them as the same human being as we are, and at the same time, understand and respect their unique culture. people, and start from study on primitive mind which all races have in common. Confucianism believes that all people have natural-born benevolence, righteousness, propriety and wisdom, and also have four Beginnings that rightfully revealed with natural human nature. Therefore, it believes that when four Beginnings are well saved and secured in mind, selfish greed disappears, be filled with underlying heart, benevolence, righteousness, propriety and wisdom, which are the human nature could be developed, and as a result, warm heart towards students from multicultural families or parents and siblings could be revealed. When someone can finally understand others underlying heart, the way of Xieju can be practiced appropriately, so in passive sense, since people know people do not want what they do not want, people do not do it anymore, and in active sense, since people know that people wish to receive something that they wish to receive, so they help first and being considerate. In other words, when people realize our mind and people from multicultural families` mind are the same, they could think in their perspectives, and people could know what they really want and what they really hate. When that mind is realized, people actively help the people who need help, and be careful about doing things they hate. Also, people should be able to naturally accept racial and cultural variety in multicultural society, respect them as the same human being as we are, and at the same time, understand and respect their unique culture.
